US-based management and tech advisory firm Hitachi Consulting has been tapped to provide the ‘smart city’ services of the cutting-edge One Bangkok development. The mixed-use complex, located at the corner of Wireless and Rama IV in central Bangkok, aims to be completed in 2021.

Cities are the next ‘thing’ being connected to the Internet of Things (IoT), with sensors and computers collecting vast amounts of data in order to manage municipal resources more effectively. Data in so-called ‘smart cities’ is collected and analysed in order to more efficiently manage traffic, power supply, water, waste, policing and hospitals among other services. The vast amount of data allows city planners to more accurately monitor city activity, allowing them to enhance the quality and performance of services while reducing costs. Smart city technologies have already been implemented in Dubai, Barcelona, Stockholm, and Amsterdam.

The latest city to embrace 'smart technology' is Bangkok, Thailand's capital city and with over 8 million inhabitants the country's most populous city. To assist in the design of ‘smart city’ services for One Bangkok – the first smart city project in Thailand – the programme team have brought consultants from Hitachi Consulting on board.

The huge mixed-use complex being built by Frasers Property and TCC Group will consist of five office towers, three luxury residential towers, four retail areas, and a large amount of public and cultural space. One Bangkok will offer over 1.8 million square meters of floor space built on a foundation of sustainability and technological integration. The building complex is expected to open in 2021, with an estimated 60,000 residents and workers.Hitachi Consulting – an early pioneer of IoT and an expert in smart city strategy and planning, as well as IT and smart infrastructure – will be responsible for the high-level design of One Bangkok’s Smart City Platform and Sensor Grid. Everything in the cutting-edge development will run off of this IoT-driven platform, with smart services integrated into energy, water, telecommunications, predictive maintenance, security, traffic, and parking. Sensors and analytics will allow property management to adjust and optimise One Bangkok’s operations. As such, Hitachi Consulting will be responsible for the critical, beating heart of the future-tech complex.

“We selected Hitachi Consulting based on its expertise in IT, Facility Management Operational Systems, and the Internet of Things,” said Anthony Arundell, Director of Smart Cities and Sustainability for One Bangkok. “We are working together to create a smart, innovative and sustainable city development that will be a showcase for the new urban living experience."

The benefits of smart services at One Bangkok will include optimal temperature, noise and air quality adaptation through the use of sensors, as well as sensor-based predictive maintenance to reduced costs and downtime of building systems. Hitachi’s Platform will also allow for highly efficient energy and water usage, as well as enhanced security from property-wide CCTV.

Andrew Hamilton, Global Client Partner for Hitachi Consulting, commented; "We are proud to be engaged with a project that is consistent with Hitachi's commitment to social innovation – making the world a better place through technology – while fulfilling the One Bangkok vision of deploying technology systems that deliver operational and environmental efficiencies and digital connectivity that enhance the overall quality of life for residents, employees and visitors."

Hitachi Consulting, founded in 2000, is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and is a subsidiary of Japanese diversified conglomerate Hitachi. The firm employs over 6,000 people and has offices in 11 countries, including Japan, China, Singapore and Vietnam.